


Aftermath

by Survivor_reborn



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: do i leave this as a one shot?, i'm not sure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-29 07:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17803595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Survivor_reborn/pseuds/Survivor_reborn
Summary: One woman, the last of her people, is made an offer she can't refuse.





	Aftermath

‘They call you the Mad Titan,’ she breathes, pulling her red cloak tighter around her and scowling. He’s too calm; it infuriates her. ‘They say you’d kill anyone.’ She almost laughs at the truth of it. He tilts his head, and lowers himself to her level, sounding almost reasonable when he speaks. Almost.

‘I do what needs to be done, little one.’ He sighs, almost sadly. ‘I don’t delight in it, I can promise you that.’

‘You don’t?’ She frowns. ‘Then all those tales-‘

‘Are tales,’ he finishes. ‘Perhaps I am not the villain you think I am.’ He opens his palm, revealing a seed, the vivid red of new shoots beginning to push through. ‘Life is the most precious thing there is.’ He levels her with a look. ‘Don’t you agree?’ She surveys the wide blue emptiness of the grass, nothing but flowers swaying orange and red and vivid green in the light breeze, the sky a vibrant gold.

‘Yes, but-‘

‘But? Where is the honour in the easy path? We must make sacrifices. That is how we become humble before the universe. Bring it into balance. I want you to understand why I did it. I did it to save its innate beauty, its heart. The soul of what makes us as we are, it was asking for help. I gave it. No-one else was going to make the necessary sacrifices. Don't you understand the burden I carry?'

‘They said you were some bloodthirsty god,’ she whispers. He chuckles, shaking his head.

‘Poor child. You’ve been lied to. I’m sorry. I’m not so mighty as they say I am.’ He surveys the landscape then, the quiet, calm empty. ‘You’re a fighter, aren’t you? A smarter woman would run.’

‘I don’t do running,’ she snaps back, looking up at him. Even kneeling, he’s almost twice as tall as she is. Not so intimidating as she might have thought, however. ‘I don’t fear death, and I don’t fear _you_. Are you angry?’ She balls her hands into fists. He laughs and laughs, brushing a finger over the crown of her head affectionately.

‘I like you,’ he says. She narrows her eyes. Thanos rests his wrists on his knees, stretching out the silence as he waits for her response. ‘I think you understand that having me on your side isn’t a bad thing.’ The corner of his mouth lifts. ‘You’d be safe. Have you ever been safe?’

‘Once.’ Her eyes glimmer in the dying light. ‘I don’t need to be safe somewhere to find refuge in myself, titan.’

‘Of course not. You’re home to yourself. I respect that.’ He genuinely seems to mean it, and his look is intense, as though he’s trying to figure her out. ‘The offer stands. I extend an olive branch of peace and protection. A sanctuary.’

‘From what?’ She scoffs, then. ‘From you?’

‘ _With_ me,’ he says. The words melt into the dusk, settling. ‘Don’t decide now. Think about it.’ And he melts into the dusk as well.

She doesn’t see him for weeks. She begins to wonder if it was even real, that conversation. How often does one have a reasonable discussion with a man some see as conqueror, others as a merciful deity? Still, he comes back.

‘I don’t want you to die here,’ he says, by way of greeting. In truth, they are in agreement. The thought of dying in the cold vastness of this place chills her bones. ‘You’ve lived this long.’ He almost looks _proud_.

‘Pure spite,’ she says, though her skin is stretched too thin. ‘Death can kiss my ass.’ He laughs, the sound rumbling through the silent earth. She feels her heart quicken and her throat constrict in terror. It expands like a balloon in her windpipe, making her feel as though she’s swallowed a void. Was this the last his enemies would ever hear? That chilling laughter?

‘So, little one,’ he says, when silence descends again. ‘You have your choice. Make it.’ _There is none._ She can see that clear as the twin moons in the sky. She reaches out a hand, slips it into his own. He raises it to his lips, kisses it, and pulls her through a portal to nowhere, and everywhere.


End file.
